U.S. State Department: Georgia's ruling party risks isolating the country

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller commented on the situation in Georgia, stating that the United States “strongly condemns” violence against peaceful citizens, including former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. The Georgian service of Radio Liberty reported the statement.

“We strongly condemn violence against Georgia’s peaceful citizens, protesters, journalists, and opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. Georgian Dream’s repressive tactics will isolate the country,” Miller wrote on X.

On January 14, members of the ruling Georgian Dream party physically assaulted Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the opposition party Georgia for All, a former prime minister and interior minister, at the Sheraton Hotel in Batumi. According to Tako Shantadze, a doctor at a Batumi clinic, Gakharia sustained a broken nasal bone and a concussion.

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched an investigation under Article 126 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to acts of violence.

Protests in Georgia have continued daily for 50 days. Demonstrators demand new elections following Georgian Dream’s announcement to suspend the country's EU membership process until 2028. A key demand of the protests is the release of individuals detained during pro-European demonstrations.